The Royal Scientific Society (RSS), in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment, began implementing the COOL-UP project to reduce energy consumption in refrigeration and air-conditioning systems in Jordan and to switch to environmentally friendly refrigerants.
In a statement on Wednesday, the RSS said that implementation of the project was announced during a meeting held on 25–26 of October with the participation of stakeholders, namely the Ministry of Environment and the RSS, in partnership with the German Company Guidehouse. This project is funded by the German Ministry of Environment under the framework of the regional COOL-UP Program.
The two-day meeting was attended by all the stakeholders and relevant authorities from government institutions, ministries, banks, private, industrial and investment companies and agencies related to refrigeration and cooling systems.
The Vice-President/Executive Director of the Sustainable Solutions Sector at RSS, Rafat Assi, stated that the continuity of the long-standing partnership between the RSS and the Ministry of Environment in implementing many important environmental activities, programs and projects. Assi thanked everyone who contributed and participated in this project, wishing that all parties would benefit from this project, which contributes to achieving sustainable development in the Kingdom.
For his part, the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Environment, Mohammed al-Khashashneh, stressed the importance of this project and its objectives, which are in line with the national goals of reducing energy consumption and supporting the gradual phase-out of the use of hydrofluorocarbon gases, according to the requirements of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol.
Al-Khashashneh underlined the Ministry’s commitment to supporting Jordan’s shift towards environmentally friendly technologies, which would contribute to the development of Jordanian industries and enable them to compete at the national, regional and international levels, and increase exports to regional and international markets.
He added that Jordan ratified the Vienna Convention and the Montreal Protocol in 1989 and is a party to all subsequent protocol amendments, and based on the Jordanian government’s commitments towards these agreements, chlorofluorocarbons were phased out before 2010 through a financial and technical support provided by the Montreal Fund for Developing Countries. Jordan has also succeeded in getting rid of hydrochlorofluorocarbons in the air-conditioning and refrigeration sector within the first phase and in the building insulation sector, the insulation materials industry and the services sector within the second phase, in addition to transferring environmentally friendly technology and building national capacities.
He pointed to cooperation between the ozone unit team at the Ministry of Environment with the RSS and the German company Guidehouse to prepare a baseline to facilitate the implementation of the project’s components within the specified time frame and to keep pace with the project partner countries in this field.
Director of the National Energy Research Center at the Royal Scientific Society, Walid Shahin, indicated that the project aims to move to sustainable refrigeration and air conditioning systems, which have enormous potential to reduce the effects caused by the increased demand for refrigeration and air conditioning on the ozone layer, climate, and the environment, which contributes to achieving sustainable development goals.
Shahin added that the project aims to reduce energy demand and eliminate the use of refrigerant gases that are not environmentally friendly to contribute to limiting climate change impact by enhancing awareness among all institutions, sectors and various segments of society through preparing the necessary programs, policies and legislation, in addition to programs for developing technical skills and financial support. Shahin lauded the efforts of the Ministry of Environment and its ongoing cooperation and support in implementing the project’s activities.
The technical advisors of the project, Nidal Abdullah from RSS, and Marcus Offermann from Guidehouse Company, talked about the current situation of air conditioning and refrigeration technologies circulated in the Jordan market and being used in commercial, domestic and industrial sectors.
Maha Abu Mwais from the Climate Change Studies Division at RSS and Heba Zureikat, representing the Ozone Unit at the Ministry of Environment, underlined Jordan’s commitment to the relevant international conventions, and the national policies regulating the realization of these commitments.
Jan Grosinger and Katja Eisbrenner from Guidehouse spoke about the Cool Up Program, its activities and the timeframe for the program. Additionally, Katja Dinges from the Guidehouse spoke about the policy framework for refrigeration and air conditioning systems. Sanjeev Tamhani from Frankfurt School also raised some issues related to the financing mechanisms available in Jordan, overcoming obstacles and possible opportunities to achieve the project’s objectives.
?The meeting adhered to the public safety procedures followed in the RSS to preserve the health and safety of all.
Source: Jordan News Agency